First Amendment

Objective Students will describe, illustrate, and defend how the first amendment rights apply to their own lives and modern society.

The First Amendment Which of the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment can you name? When are the freedoms of the First Amendment not absolute? Should we say whatever we feel without consequence?

To Start

What’s a Violation? Does this violate Your freedom of speech? Look over the scenarios. With a partner, decide which scenario is a violation of your 1st Amendment rights and which is not.

1st Amendment Scenario Read each scenario. Does each scenario violate your freedom of speech? Answer yes or no.

What’s a Violation? -- Discuss Does this violate Your freedom of speech? Your parents insist you attend church every Sunday. No. The First Amendment does not apply to your parents. Your private school requires you to say a certain prayer each morning, even though you have a different faith. No. A private school can require religious activities. Your public school begins a sporting event with a student-led prayer over the school’s PA system. Yes. Public School sponsored, student led prayer violates the first amendment.  

You work in a retail store after school and on weekends You work in a retail store after school and on weekends. Your boss says you have to stop talking so much while you’re working. No. Private employers do not have to abide by the First Amendment. Your public school administrator suspends you for wearing a black armband in protest of a war. Yes. Official cannot punish this kind of symbolic speech unless it would substantially disrupt school. Your public school principal says you can’t come to school as long as your hair is dyed purple. No. Schools can set dress codes and make rules about students’ appearance.  

You do not wish to say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, and your principal expels you.  Yes. The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protects your right not to be forced to say something. You work in a restaurant. Your boss treats you unfairly, and you write about what happened on your Facebook page. Your boss finds out what you wrote and fires you. No. Private employers do not have to abide by the first amendment. Your school newspaper is produced by the journalism class. Your public school principal objects to the content of an article and censors the newspaper. Depending on the content. Public high school officials can sensor school- sponsored newspapers if they have reasons related to safety. The state of Colorado has a student press rights which means that school officials can only censor crude, obscene, or offensive content.  

Your parents won’t let you have a MySpace page.  No. The First Amendment does not apply to your parents. Police arrest a professional reporter for writing an article that criticizes the government. Yes. The First Amendment protects the right tof the professional press to write stories critical of government.  You belong to a service club in your neighborhood. You hope you’ll be chose to lead an upcoming event. When you are not selected, you decide to gather signatures from other members urging the club leaders to change their minds. The club leaders refuse to accept your petition. No. Private Clubs do not have to abide by the First Amendment.

A neighborhood store sells you an iPod that doesn’t work A neighborhood store sells you an iPod that doesn’t work. The cashier won’t give you a refund. You decide to go back into the store with some of your friends and stand just inside the front door with signs that say “Don’t Shop Here!” The store owner makes you leave. No. The First Amendment does not give you the right to assemble on private property. A white supremacist group applies for a city permit to have a march. The city says that they cannot have the permit unless they pay for a large insurance bond. Other groups are given permits for free. Yes. The supreme court determined The National Socialist Party could not be prohibited from marching peacefully because of the content of their message. Your public school principal punishes you for attending an outside demonstration during school hours. No. The First Amendment does not give you the right to leave school without permission in order to assemble.

What should be the limits? Consequences? Limits? Are there things that we shouldn’t say?

Although the bill of rights guarantees free speech, there can be consequences… http://www.khq.com/story/29927707/should-certain-words-get-students-a-failing-grade-at-washington- state-university#.VebkKG9W-eU.mailto http://youtu.be/PMz80FKusUA https://gma.yahoo.com/hulk-hogan-racial-slur-scandal-please-forgive-people-112815982--abc-news- celebrities.html http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/03/politics/kentucky-clerk-same-sex-marriage-kim- davis/index.html?eref=edition https://gma.yahoo.com/hulk-hogan-racial-slur-scandal-please-forgive-people-112815982--abc-news- celebrities.html http://youtu.be/HKWCJUxXJ6E http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting.html?_r=0